The aim of this research is to investigate the gustatory and olfactory qualities of food substances, essential nutrients, and other commonly encountered chemical stimuli to determine how these qualities change with age. The ultimate purpose is to understand more fully how age-related changes in the taste and smell of foods and nutrients contribute to inadequate diets among the elderly, and to investigate possible gustatory and olfactory potentiators, salt substitutes, and sugar substitutes as well which could lead to increased palatability of foodstuffs for the elderly. The research is designed to attempt to determine the basic mechanisms, such as receptor properties, which are altered during the aging process and which lead to diminished taste and smell discrimination. The degree to which gustatory and olfactory qualities are affected by diseases related to the aging process are being examined as well.